SFWA’s In Memoriam marks the loss of writers and other science fiction and fantasy creators by celebrating their literary legacies and their contributions to the publishing community. The person whose loss we are marking does not have to be a SFWA member. It is enough that they contributed to the world of SFF and leave behind people who wish to honor their life and work. Please contact publications@sfwa.org if you wish for us to add an entry for a recently lost creator to the list.
In Memoriam: James Gunn
SFWA Grand Master James E. Gunn (b.1923) died on December 23, 2020. Gunn served as SFWA President from 1971-1972. Gunn began publishing science fiction in 1949 with the short story “Communications”, using the byline Edwin James. Over the years, he built…
In Memoriam: Phyllis Eisenstein
Phyllis Eisenstein (b.1946) died on December 7. Eisenstein’s novels included Sorcerer’s Son, In the Red Lord’s Reach, and Shadow of Earth. Eisenstein published two volumes in the Tales of Alaric the Minstrel series and two volumes of the Book of Elementals trilogy. She…
In Memoriam: Dean Ing
Dean Ing (b.1931) died on June 21. Ing published his first two stories in the 1950s. In the 1970s, he published several short stories and his first novel, Soft Targets. In 1979, his novelette “Devil You Don’t Know” was nominated for…
In Memoriam: Ben Bova
Former SFWA President Ben Bova (b.1932) died from COVID-19 related pneumonia and a stroke on November 29. Bova served two consecutive terms as SFWA President from 1990-1992. Bova published his first novel, The Star Conquerors in 1959 and published several novels and…
In Memoriam: Debra Doyle
Debra Doyle (b.1952) died at her home from a cardiac arrest on October 31st. She published her first co-written story, “Bad Blood,” in 1988 with husband James Macdonald. Doyle and Macdonald co-wrote all of their works, which included numerous young…
In Memoriam: Rachel Caine
Rachel Caine (b.1962) died on November 1 after being diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in 2018. Caine, the primary nom de plume for Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, began publishing novels and short stories in 1990. At one time a professional musician…
In Memoriam: Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind (b.1948) died on September 17. Goodkind, who suffered from dyslexia, published his first novel, Wizard’s First Rule, in 1994 after a career as a woodworker and artist. Wizard’s First Rule was the first volume in Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series. Most of his other novels…
In Memoriam: Mike Resnick
In Memoriam: John A. Pitts
SFWA member John A. Pitts died on October 3 from amyoidosis. Pitts began publishing short fiction in 2006 with “There Once Was a Girl from Nantucket (A Fortean Love Story),” co-written with Ken Scholes. He went on to write several short stories…
In Memoriam: Katherine MacLean
Katherine MacLean (b.1925) died on September 1st. MacLean began publishing science fiction in 1949 when her short story “Defense Mechanism” appeared in the October issue of Astounding. Her first novel, Cosmic Checkmate, was co-written with Charles V. De Vet, and appeared in…
In Memoriam: Melisa C. Michaels
Melisa C. Michaels (b.1946) died on August 30. Michaels began publishing with the 1979 short story “In the Country of the Blood, No One Can See,” which appeared in the January issue of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. She followed up with…
In Memoriam: Brad Linaweaver
Brad Linaweaver (b.1952) died after a lengthy battle with cancer on August 29. Linaweaver began publishing science fiction in 1980 with the short story “The Competitor.” His second published story, the novella “Moon of Ice” was nominated for the Nebula Award in…
In Memoriam: Jack Cohen
In Memoriam: Allan Cole
Allan Cole, international best-selling author, screenwriter and former prize-winning newsman, died March 29, 2019, of cancer in Boca Raton, FL. He was 75. Cole was probably best known for the Sten science fiction series, which he co-authored with his late…
In Memoriam: Gene Wolfe
SFWA Grand Master Gene Wolfe (b.1931) died on April 14. Wolfe is widely considered to be one of science fiction and fantasy’s greatest stylists, writing complex and intelligent novels and short stories, while letting his wry wit show through. After…